A LITTLE LESS SIXTEEN CANDLES; A LITTLE MORE TOUCH ME // Karl Jacobs X Reader

27

The store didn't feel the same when you got back to work.

Somehow, the pastel colors in the packaging seemed less vibrant, and the scents were flat and artificial. The gaudy charm that the place used to have seemed faded.

Most annoying we're the beach displays. It was mid July now, and summer scents were everywhere. They didn't do it justice. They were only cheap imitations, and you had yet to find one that actually served the memory of the salt in the air and the sandy shores.

You sighed, resting your elbows against the countertop. You had forgotten how slow and boring Bath and Body Works could be. It seemed Noah was going through something similar - every few minutes your phone would buzz with another text from her about how bored she was.

You had considered not even coming in today, or quitting all together. Even with paying off tuition, you had plenty of money left over. You could take some time off, find a better job, and not have to worry about rent for a bit.

There was something that held you here though. You'd never thought of the mall as a place where things happened before - it had seemed stagnant and small. But looking back, perhaps it was better than it seemed.

For one, Noah was here as well. There was a comradery that had brought you together - the carpools every morning, sharing your lunch breaks, complaining about customers. Leaving here would mean leaving all that behind.

This was also the place where you had met Karl. By chance he had walked in, and a little push from Noah had forced you to talk to him. And look where it had gotten you. 50,000 dollars, Mexico, and possibly the love of your life. That last part was the most important part for sure.

Karl. Sweet, wonderful, too good for you, beautiful Karl.

You still had to thank him for everything.

But what could you possibly get for him or do for him that was the equivalent to the week you had spent under the sun?

On the counter, your phone buzzed. Noah again, complaining.

this place is so boring i'm gonna die

You shook your head at her antics and tapped back a reply.

ur not gonna die

just suck it up we only have like an hour and a half left

You could see Noah get your text across storefronts, and as she read it, she frowned, flipping you off. You laughed, going back to your phone.

very mature

Her reply came back quickly.

yeah whatever

You set your phone aside, going to peruse the store, making sure everything was in line. Nothing much had changed since you had gone, but it felt like a different place.

Or maybe you were just a different person.

Your eyes skimmed over the shelves of candles, remembering how you used to walk around the store, picking out things Karl might have liked. You hadn't even known his name then.

You reached out for a blue candle, breathing the scent in. Linen. He would have liked this one.

You set the candle back down, and continued on your way around the store, cataloging each candle based around Karl's preferences. He would have said the white spruce was too muddy smelling, but he would have liked the tropical vanilla. The crisp apple wasn't quite his taste, but the ocean breeze was.

You picked up a light teal candle and sniffed, closing your eyes.

Almost instantly, you were taken back to the beaches of Mexico. The thick tropical underbrush, the salt rolling in on the wind, the smell of the sea.

You opened your eyes, looking down at the name of the scent. Summer Dream.

It looked like they had gotten one right after all.

"Does it smell good?"

You turned to see Noah walking in, swinging her Hot Topic lanyard around her fingers.

"It smells like the beach." You said, handing it to her. "I think I might get it for Karl."

Noah inhaled, smiling. "You should."

You capped the candle and headed back to the counter, Noah trailing along behind you. "Closing already?" You asked.

"We only have like ten minutes left and Jayden usually closes." Noah said. "I'm itching to get out of here today for some reason."

"I get the feeling." You said, ringing the candle up using your employee discount. "Do you think I should gift wrap it for him?"

Noah paused for a moment, then nodded. "He seems like the kind of person who would enjoy tearing wrapping paper off things."

You grinned. "Yeah he does."

You pulled out the tissue paper and gift bags from under the counter, carefully creasing the paper around the candle and cushioning the bag.

You spun the finished product around to show Noah. "Yeah?"

"How are you so good at that?" Noah asked, admiring the work. "Whenever I try to wrap something, it looks like shit."

You shrugged sliding the supplies back away. "Dunno. Call it a natural gift." You said, walking out from behind the counter. "Give me a few minutes to close up and then we can go."

"Cool." Noah said.

You made your way around the shop, turning off the screens and wiping the counters down with practiced ease. You had closed up at least a thousand times by now, and you knew the routine like the back of your own hand. Noah was leaning against the wall outside the store when you finished, tapping away on her phone.

"Ready?" You asked, bag containing Karl's candle in hand.

"Of course." Noah said.

You made your way out of the mall and into the bright sunlight of the parking lot, heading towards Noah's car. A breeze wafted over your face, brushing through your hair and you smiled in the sunlight. There was something familiar and nice that you had missed in Mexico - getting off work and Noah's beat up car, and the sound of traffic as it passed.

You swung the candle in your hand as you walked.